Local comedian Manny Oliveira knows a thing or two (or three) about relationships gone bad.
And in his world premiere production “I’m the Man You Meet Before You Meet the Man You Marry,” he takes an introspectively humorous look at why things didn’t work out and how these experiences can help him become a better person.
With an all-Atlanta cast and crew, Oliveira brings this show to the stage all month, starting this weekend.
Q: How much is this show based on your own experiences?
A: What happened was, years ago I had gone through three significant relationships and after each one the next person that they met, they married. So I went, “Oh, God. I must be the guy you meet before you meet the man you marry.” Then I went, “That sounds good.” I started telling people about it and [there was interest]. So then I said, “Boy, I’d better write this.” All I had was a title, basically.
Q: Explain the roles of the rest of the cast portraying the mind, heart and soul.
A: As I was writing this thing, I started to ask myself, “How am I going to be kept in check?” I could have become so self-absorbed that the next thing you know I’m embellishing my life until no tomorrow. Basically, what the voices of reason – the heart, the mind and the soul – do is sort of keep me in line as I try to create this world of great happiness and stuff. They just go, “Hey, look. It’s really not that great.” They’re in silhouette the entire time, so you’ll never see who they are. But at some points they’ll be embellishing the performance, and other points they’ll just be going, “Hey, come on. Back off. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Q: It sounds like the message here is that it’s OK to be middle-aged and single.
A: How often do people just constantly agonize over, “I’ve got to have somebody. I’ve got to be with somebody?” Never once do they realize that the only people we can depend on are ourselves. There’s a way to be happy and be alone, and people don’t have to be lonely. You can walk out your door and talk to the guy walking down the street. Loneliness is something we create ourselves, but being alone is not a bad thing.
Q: Would you say this show is good for Valentine’s couples or more of a bitter anti-Valentine’s show?
A: If you come in as a couple, we separate you at the door. No, this is not about heartbreak. It’s about a person whose heart has been broken, but finally realized that until he could be the person he wanted to be, his heart would continue to be broken, because he felt like he had lost the only thing that would make him whole.
Couples will enjoy this because I think people will start to see that it’s really more important to be a good person than to be anything else. Good guys don’t have to finish last. When you think of what sexy is, this image immediately comes to mind of a voluptuous woman or a six-pack-ab guy. But wouldn’t it be great if being a nice, compassionate guy was sexy? I think that’s the gist of the show. I’ve been in love tons of times, maybe more times than I should have been, but I’m not anti-relationship. I’m just saying we don’t need to spend so much time on it. If we spent a third or a tenth of the time working on ourselves as we do trying to find that perfect person, I think life would be a whole lot better. I’m happy alone. I would like to have someone, but if it’s not in the cards, I’m fine.
“I’m the Man You Meet Before You Meet the Man You Marry”
8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; 6 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 27. $27-$57. 14th Street Playhouse. 173 14th St., Atlanta, Ga. 30309. 404-733-4738. www.14thstplayhouse.org. www.imthemanyoumeet.com
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